Chapter 4

Robin and Starfire

Could he do it? Could he send her away, after all they've been through? After being reunited so that they could spend their last hours together? After she came to him, just wanting to be with him? He had to, she couldn't stay.

Robin turned to Starfire. They had been sitting in the main room, an awkward silence surrounding them. Once Raven and Beastboy had left, and they were alone, it was as if they were waiting for something, but they didn't know what.

"Starfire?" he said.

"Yes Robin?" she replied, in her easy, unassuming manner.

"I just thought of something…" He thought it best to pretend he hadn't been debating with himself whether or not he should let her go.

"Oh? What?"

"Er, well, you know how you said the only ship capable of taking you back to Tamaran was the one here?"

"Yes…"

"Well, it probably still works. You could go back to Tamaran, then you wouldn't have to be here when the comet hits." He tried to sound happy, and just hoped she fell for it. He would hate for her to stay, just to save his feelings. Her face lit up, and a pang shot through his heart.

"Oh yes Robin! And you could accompany me! Oh would it not be wonderful to live on Tamaran, in the palace?" she cried. Robin gave a weak smile. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side forever, but could he live on another planet, knowing that his home had been destroyed? When he really considered it, a sick feeling overcame him. He had sworn to himself to be a protector of Earth, and it only seemed right that he should die along with it. A captain goin down with his ship. Knowing that Starfire was safe would be enough for him.

"Starfire, as much as I want to, I can't." he said. Her smile faltered visibly.

"What? Why not?" she asked.

"Earth is my home, I can't just leave it to be destroyed."

"But Robin, there is nothing you can do!" she implored.

"I know that, but it would feel too much like I was abandoning everything I love. And I made a promise to never betray them again." Starfire stared searchingly into his eyes, but his mind was made up. She looked away,

"Would there be nothing for you on Tamaran?" she said, just above a whisper.

"There would be one thing, but only one, and I just can't go with you." They paused, eyes seaching each others face for… They didn't know what. Just a chance of happiness. Starfire sighed,

"Alright Robin, I see there is nothing I can do to change your mind." She stood up, "Shall we go to the space-craft now?" Robin stood up as well and followed her to the hanger. He didn't like accepting his own death, and the survival instinct in him kept shrieking, Go with her! Live! Screw everyone else! To keep his mind off all this, he tried to imagine what Starfire's life would be. He knew she would only marry for love, and what man would not love her? She would be well kept, being a princess and all, maybe she'd even be queen! Robin could almost see her, surrounded by little, red-headed, laughing children. In comes a handsome, red-headed man, who sweeps her up into his arms. She smiles as her beautiful, regal dress fans out around them. It hurt him to think that he wouldn't be the man to hold her, but he was happy for this future Starfire.

They arrived at the hangar and stood in front of the T-ship. Another awkward silence engulfed them. Robin was reminded of when they had had to say goodbye on the shore years ago. Should I tell her now? he thought. No, it might make her stay. He could live with his love left unanswered, at least for the next couple of hours. He smiled as convincingly as he could,

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." he said.

"Yes," she replied sadly.

"I'm sure you'll be happy on Tamaran."

"Yes" she said again, sounding distracted and unsure. She looked up at the small spaceship behind her. Suddenly she turned to Robin and flung her arms around his neck. He was shocked, but he quickly recovered his senses, and hugged her slim form to him. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair, it felt so natural to hold her. He felt her relax against him.

"Goodbye Robin," she said, her voice shaking, "I will never forget you." He opened his eyes, and loosened his hold on her.

"Goodbye Starfire" he said. She tore away from him and hauled herself up into the cockpit without ever meeting his eyes. The orange craft whirred into life and the roof to the hanger rolled back, exposing the dusky sky. Just before the ship shot up and away into the vast expanse of all that space had to offer, Stafire looked down at him. She didn't smile, but as the ship began to lift off the ground, she pressed her hand against the glass, then she was gone. Robin stood alone for a minute, staring up at where Starfire had last been, before the roof rolled back again, and he was left in the dark.

He trudged slowly back up to the main part of the Tower, turning off all the lights as he went. He was just going to go to bed, and hoped that he would still be asleep when the comet hit. He had reached the main room, the center of the Teen Titans, and he hardly even crossed the threshold. He just let the doors open and he took one step inside, to flick off the lights. The lights from the city were visible through the window, and he felt drawn to them. He went to stand, looking out at the city. The rain ran in thick rivulets down the glass, and it made a steady pattering noise. He suddenly felt very alone. He could see the life and buzz of Jump City, a boat drifted slowly along in the water below, but he wasn't part of it. He was doomed to watch from the sidelines as other people lived their lives, but he just hid in the shadows, doing what was right. He wondered for a moment what Beastboy and Raven were doing, whether they were happy, whether they had finally figured out that they loved each other. He smiled for a second, before sighing and turning away to resume his expedition.

After he had gone through the whole Tower, and turned off every light, he walked slowly to his bedroom. He didn't make a noise, he couldn't hear his own footsteps or his own breathing. He pushed the door open and stopped dead.

Starfire was sitting on the end of his bed. She was just looking at him, face completely emotionless. He could hear the beat of the rain on his window.

"Earth" she said, "is my home too."

Robin shut the door. He was tired of waiting, he didn't feel like doing the right thing anymore, he didn't want to be nervous or afraid, he didn't want to convince her to go back on the ship and go to Tamaran. All he knew was that he wanted her, needed her, craved her, loved her, and for the first time in his life he felt that he deserved her. Now was not the time for personal sacrifice, the idea never entered his head to turn her away. Instead he did what he had longed to do for the past ten years, what he wanted so badly to do that it was ingrained on his subconsious. Without saying a word, he marched right up to her and kissed her, taking the back of her head in his hand to deepen the kiss.

Robin's eyes fluttered open. His arm was still around Starfire's waist, just where he had left it. He edged closer to her and burried his face in her soft hair. The sun was just starting to rise outside, and he didn't need to look at the clock to know it was coming up to six o'clock. If I have to die, he thought, I'm glad I could die like this.

He only wished that Starfire would stay asleep, and not have to face what was coming.

Last night… Being able to share his last moments with her, sharing heart and body with her, had been ecstasy. He could still hear her whispers, and her cries, in his mind, still feel the rhythm of their bodies moving together. He shivered, and grinned. Then he heard his sleeping beauty inhale deeply as she woke up.

She traced her fingers down his arm, and wriggled in his hold.

"Good morning," she said, looking over her shoulder at him, "sleep well?" He smiled at her,

"Very" he replied. She turned away again and closed her eyes.

"We don't have to get up yet, do we?" she said. Oh no… thought Robin, she's forgotten. He felt terrible, she'd forgotten she was going to die today. He decided he wouldn't remind her.

"Of course not." he said. Her eyes snapped open, and a moment later she said,

"Of course not, it's almost six o'clock." She was staring out of the window, and Robin folowed her gaze. Above the rising sun was a blazing ball of fire.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"Oh Robin, there's nothing you can do." she said back, rolling over in his arms to face him and placing her hand on his cheek. "You can't save everybody."

"The only one I want to save is you, and I can't even do that."

"Don't think like that. I wanted to stay."

"Do you regret it?" he asked as the fireball in the window got bigger.

"Not for a moment." She smiled at him.

"Starfire" he choked, "I love you, know that. You were like a goddess to me when we were younger and not much has changed, you are an angel. I hate the world for killing you. You could be so much more, if you had gone to Tamaran you could have been a queen, you would have done great things. Why did you stay? I'm not worth it." Starfire tried to think of the best way to express what was in her heart.

"I have done great things, Robin, I was a Teen Titan. We were great, you can't deny it. We helped so many. If I went back to Tamaran, I would be forced to marry a man I didn't love. If I took the throne, I would be surrounded by back-stabbing senators, and corrupt councilors. And I couldn't do that with you and your purity in my heart. I love you, so don't say you're not worth dieing for. I would die over and over for eternity if I could only make you happy, and keep you safe. You make me feel like the queen you think I want to be, and I would rather die after a night like last night, than a hundred years from now surrounded by gold, but alone."

Robin was speechless. They could hear the comet now, it was so close. Starfire sat up and looked out of the window. Robin joined her. The roar of the comet got louder.

"Robin," said Starfire, turning towards him. "Kiss me. Don't let me think about what's about to happen." Robin kissed her. He was being gentle, but as things in the room began to rattle and the noise became almost deaffening, Starfire kissed him harder. They kissed fast and frantically, so hard it bordered on pain. Robin's hands ran over her body. Starfire gently dug her nails into his chest and ran her leg up and down between his.

Just as their movements were reaching a fever pitch, right before the comet struck, Robin broke away abruptly. Starfire couldn't hear what he said, but he unmistakably mouthed, "I love you, Starfire."

Then the Earth burst into flames and shards as the collosal comet struck it's center, until there was nothing left. The shift in the balance of gravity in space caused a chain reaction, destroying the solar system. Over the course of the next hundreds of years, the shards and gases clung together to form new planets, and millenia later, life began to form once more.